1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a movable front retainer assembly for a refrigerator shelf.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a refrigerator shelf with a tilt-down front retaining member. It is also known to provide a freezer shelf with a retaining member that can be shifted from an article retaining position to allow enhanced access to articles on the shelf. Therefore, such front retainers securely retain articles on the shelves, while also providing a user easy access. In most cases, the retaining member is pivoted forward from an initial, upright position, to a second or lowered position. Although useful from an organizational standpoint, when in the lowered position, the retaining member may block a user from readily accessing items stored on lower shelves. In most cases, a special liner construction is required in order to accommodate this type of retaining member. That is, the liner is generally provided with structure designed to hold the retaining member in the upright position.
Other retaining members are removable and, when installed, can be pivoted from an upright position to a lowered position wherein the retaining member is substantially coplanar with the shelf. This type of retaining member allows a user to configure the retaining member to establish a conventional flat shelf or, alternatively, define product retaining structure. However, retaining members of this type generally project beyond the shelf when moved to the lowered position, often preventing the refrigerator door from closing properly and/or damaging the door if it is closed.
Regardless of these known arrangements, there is still a need in the art for an enhanced shelf retaining member. More specifically, there exists a need for a shelf retaining member that can be employed to retain articles on a shelf or be stowed for later use while still providing sufficient clearance for closing a refrigerator door and allowing access to articles located below the shelf. Furthermore, there exists a need for a retaining member that is easily installed into pre-existing refrigerator structures.